PDF to Text — Extract Text from a PDF for Free
Pull the text content out of a PDF and get clean, plain text you can copy or download — useful for reusing content from reports, articles, or forms. Scanned pages with no embedded text are automatically read using on-device OCR. Everything happens locally in your browser using JavaScript — your PDF is never uploaded to a server, so it's safe to use for private, sensitive, or confidential documents.
How to use pdf to text
- 1Upload the PDF you want to extract text from.
- 2Click "Extract Text" — the tool reads every page's text layer, running OCR automatically on any page that turns out to be a scanned image.
- 3Copy the result or download it as a .txt file.
Frequently asked questions
Does this work on scanned PDFs?
Yes — pages with an existing text layer are read directly; any page with no extractable text (typically a scanned image) is automatically processed with on-device OCR instead, so you still get text back.
Is formatting like tables or columns preserved?
Text is extracted in reading order but complex layouts (multi-column text, tables) may not be preserved exactly as visually laid out.
Can I download the extracted text?
Yes — use the "Download .txt" button to save the extracted text as a plain text file.